Even though many fruits are out of season during the winter months, pears are still available nearly year-round, which makes them a great addition to any meal. And guess what? There's actually an entire month celebrate pears! December is National Pear Month, and in honor of the month-long designated pear holiday, here are a handful of recipes from USA Pears that celebrate pears!
Homemade Pear Pancetta Pizza
Ingredients for pizza dough
2 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
2 ¼ tsp fast rise yeast the whole packet
1 tsp white granulated sugar
¾ cup warm water warmed to 110°F
1 T olive oil
Method
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together bread flour and salt. Using a mixer, combine yeast and sugar. Mix by hand instructions are in the notes. Warm up water until it reaches 110°F. Pour into the bowl with the yeast. Add in the olive oil. Mix for 10 seconds.
- Using a dough hook, add in all of the flour and start mixing on low. Once a dough starts to form, mix on medium for 5 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky.
- Place dough ball in large measuring bowl that has been lightly sprayed with a non-stick spray. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 550°F as hot as your oven can go. Place a pizza stone in the oven while it preheats. The stone should be heating up the whole time the dough is rising.
- Once it is double in size, punch the dough down once with your fist. Place a large parchment paper on the counter that is lightly sprinkled with flour. Make sure dough ball is circular before placing on the parchment paper.
- Use your fingers to spread the dough evenly. Once it won’t spread any more. Pull the dough with your hands letting gravity do it’s job. Go along all the edges. The pizza should be between 10-11.5 inches wide and be circular.
Ingredients for pizza sauce
8 oz tomato sauce
1 tsp ground oregano
½ tsp ground thyme
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp white granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
Method
- This sauce can be made ahead of time. In a sauce pan over medium-low heat, combine tomato sauce and all of the seasonings. Heat until sauce is boiling. Remove from heat.
- Spread the pizza sauce on top of the pizza dough. Use the back of the spoon to spread it evenly. Keep about 1 inch of pizza dough along the edge free of sauce.
Ingredients for pizza toppings
8 oz Provolone cheese shredded
1 cup Shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp Fresh rosemary chopped
1 tsp Fresh basil chopped
2 oz Uncured pancetta cooked until crispy
¼ cup Specialty salami shredded into small pieces
1 pear thinly sliced
Method
- Sprinkle all of the shredded provolone cheese on top of the sauce. Fill in the gaps with the mozzarella cheese. The whole pizza should be covered in cheese. Sprinkle the chopped basil and chopped rosemary on top of the cheese.
- Top the cheese with the pancetta and salami. Line the pizza with the pears.
- Place the parchment paper with the pizza on a large cutting board. Place the parchment paper and pizza on the hot pizza stone. Bake for 6-8 minutes. Check it at 6 minutes. Bake until cheese is starting to become golden brown.
- Once the pizza comes out of the oven, there will be a lot of juice from the pears. Dab the pizza with a paper towel to soak up the juices. Cut the pizza and serve.
Baked Brie with Red Anjou Pears
Ingredients
2 lbs wheel brie cheese
2 Red Anjou Pears
½ cup pomegranate seeds
10 sprigs thyme
½ cup Honey
1 baguett
- Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Set the brie out to warm to room temperature.
- Add honey to a small bowl. Remove the leaves from the thyme stems and muddle them into the honey with a spoon. Note: if your honey is solidified, submerge in hot water until liquid, about 5 minutes.
- Place the brie on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until liquid in the center.
- While the brie is baking, slice pears into thin wedges, removing the seeds and core.
- Remove brie from the oven and carefully transfer the brie onto a serving platter. Arrange the pear wedges on top of the brie, sprinkle the pomegranate seeds over the pears, and drizzle evenly with honey.
- Enjoy right away by slicing wedges into the brie and dipping the pears into the melted brie or spooning the brie and toppings onto slices of baguette.
Red Wine Poached Pear with Mascarpone and Candied Almonds
Ingredients for Poached Pears
6 Bosc USA Pears
1 750 ml bottle red table wine
2 cups granulated sugar
2 T Chinese five spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
Ingredients for mascarpone filling
8 oz mascarpone cheese
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup candied sliced almonds, such as Almond Accents® Honey Roasted Sliced Almond
Method
- Peel pear and core from the bottom to extract core and seeds.
- In a saucepan, combine wine, granulated sugar, five spice, cinnamon and cloves. Add pears and just enough wine to cover pears. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until pears are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove pears and cool to room temperature. Cover and chill.
- Simmer wine mixture until reduced to a syrupy consistency.
- Whip mascarpone, cream, powdered sugar and almond extract on high speed until mixture forms firm peaks.
- To serve: Spoon 2 tablespoons mascarpone filling into center of each pear. Place on dessert plates. Spoon 2 tablespoons mascarpone around bottom of pears. Drizzle 2 tablespoons slightly warm wine syrup over each pear. Garnish with candied almonds and serve immediately.
Oh Pear
Ingredients
2 oz Irish whiskey
1 oz purée of USA Red Bartlett pear
½ oz pear liqueur, such as Belle de Brillet or Aqua Perfecta Pear Eau de Vie
½ oz drambuie
Ice
Method
- Pour ingredients into shaker and fill with ice. Shake well for 30 seconds and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a USA Red Bartlett pear wedge.
